DHS ‘Cyber Security Czar’, No Experience Required

Here is a story from last week (March 19) that I missed but, thanks to Bruce Schneier, I’m now standing here scratching my head. It turns out that the Bush administration will tap Rod A. Beckstrom “to head a new inter-agency group charged with coordinating the federal government’s efforts to protect its computer networks from organized cyber attacks.” Maybe I’m a little confused but, isn’t that part of what the DHS does?

From the Washington Post

The new inter-agency group, which will coordinate information sharing about cyber attacks aimed at government networks, is being created as part of a government-wide “cyber initiative” spelled out in a national security directive signed in January by President Bush, according to the sources, who asked to remain anonymous because they did not have permission to talk publicly about the information.

The presidential directive expanded the intelligence community’s role in monitoring Internet traffic to protect against a rising number of attacks on federal agencies’ computer systems. According to the sources, the center will be charged with gathering cyber attack and vulnerability information from a wide range of federal agencies, including the FBI, the National Security Agency and the Defense Department. Beckstrom will report directly to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Reached via phone Wednesday evening, Beckstrom declined to provide any specifics about his new position, saying only, “I’m thrilled to be on the DHS team, and I am looking forward to doing my best to serve the country.”

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment.

OK, leadership is a good thing but, what of his resume? Well, Beckstrom is an author of a book entitled “Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations“. He also founded the wiki company Twiki.net. So, he has management experience. But, wouldn’t one surmise that the role should have a person with security experience? Beckstrom apparently has none. I’m of two minds here. I have seen non-security folks run teams and do a fantastic job. That being said I have also seen the opposite with disastrous results.

Basically this has all the hallmarks of a corporate leader being tapped for a thankless job for which he has no experience.

A phrase just keeps rattling around in my head.

How does it go again?

Oh yeah, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job”

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